PRECURSOR
When a wave of global disasters coincides with a mysterious neurological outbreak, a burned-out neurosurgeon risks everything to expose a terrifying truth: the end of the world is being deliberately engineered.
Set in the near future, the world begins to unravel in ways that defy logic—earthquakes in impossible locations, tsunamis reshaping coastlines, planes falling from the sky, and now a bizarre contagion that’s driving its victims mad with chronic déjà vu.
At the center is Dr. Michael Shaw, a brilliant but deeply broken neurosurgeon, who teams up with a group of unlikely allies—a journalist, a priest, a rogue scientist—each trying to explain the chaos through their own lens: science, faith, or conspiracy. But as the events escalate, a chilling pattern emerges. The disasters aren’t random—they’re connected. And they’re being orchestrated by a powerful, centuries-old secret society engineering what they call “precursor” events in order to trigger the apocalypse.
Tonally, it’s MR. ROBOT meets THE LEFTOVERS—a grounded, character-driven, psychological thriller with global stakes, where a series of escalating disasters appear to be by design, and the real tension comes from not knowing what—or who—to believe.
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Steve BrownWriterPrecursor, The Age of the Empath, Into the Ether
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Project Type:Television Script
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Genres:Sci-Fi, Thriller, suspense
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Number of Pages:60
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Language:English
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First-time Screenwriter:Yes
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Student Project:No
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Digital Cinema Package:Unavailable
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NexTV Writing & Pitch Competition
November 1, 2024
Winner -
Los Angeles Film & Script Festival, 15th Annual
April 1, 2025
Winner - Best Script (Sci-Fi) -
Northern Virginia International Film & Music Festival
May 1, 2025
Winner - Best Teleplay (Sci-Fi & Thriller) -
American Filmatic Arts Awards
January 13, 2026
Winner -
Los Angeles Cinema Festival of Hollywood, 15th Annual
March 1, 2025
Winner - Award of Merit -
Berlin International Screenwriting Festival
November 4, 2025
Winner - Best Television Screenplay, Pilot -
Bridge Fest
December 24, 2025
Winner - Best Short TV Screenplay -
HorrOrigins Film Festival
November 6, 2025
Winner - Best Pilot -
Cinematography & Photography Awards
December 8, 2025
Winner - Best Television Script -
IndieX Film Fest
January 1, 2025
Winner - Best Short Script -
Boomtown Film & Music Festival
March 6, 2026
2nd Place -
New York International Film Awards
October 1, 2024
Winner - Best Series Pilot Script -
Moondance International Film Festival, 27th Annual
February 15, 2026
Winner - Best TV Pilot Script -
Phoenix Rising International Film Festival
November 19, 2025
Winner - TV Pilot Episode Screenplay -
London Frames International Film Festival
March 1, 2025
Winner -
The IndieFEST Film Awards
November 5, 2025
Winner - Awards of Excellence, Best Script/Writer -
Accolade Global Film Competition
September 11, 2025
Winner - Award of Excellence -
RED Movie Awards
December 1, 2024
Winner - Best Script -
Swedish International Film Festival
September 1, 2024
Winner - Best Pilot Script -
4th Dimension Independent Film Festival
September 1, 2024
2nd Place - Best Pilot Script - Outstanding Achievement Award -
ISA Fast Track Fellowship, Fall
October 1, 2024
2nd Round Selection -
ISA Fast Track Fellowship, Fall
September 10, 2025
2nd Round Selection -
Sedona International Film Festival
January 21, 2026
Runner Up -
SoCal Screenplay Competition, 10th Annual
January 26, 2026
Runner Up -
WriteMovies Writing Contest 80
December 19, 2025
Honorable Mention -
Big Apple Film Festival Screenplay Competition, Fall
November 1, 2024
Honorable Mention -
Finish Line Script Competition
June 1, 2025
Honorable Mention -
The Art of Brooklyn Screenplay Contest
May 28, 2025
Honorable Mention -
Los Angeles Movie Awards
May 12, 2025
Honorable Mention -
For You TV
November 25, 2025
Honorable Mention -
Williamsburg International Film & Music Competition
September 21, 2025
Honorable Mention -
The Macoproject Film Festival
December 16, 2025
Honorable Mention -
Launch Pad Pilot Competition
March 1, 2025
Top 100 -
Barnstorm Fest
December 30, 2025
The Short List -
Script Summit
September 1, 2024
Finalist -
Vail Film Festival Screenplay Competition
December 1, 2024
Finalist -
Cinequest Film Festival, Screenwriting Competition
March 1, 2025
Finalist -
Palm Springs International Screenplay Awards, Spring
September 30, 2025
Finalist -
Las Vegas International Film & Screenwriting Festival
October 20, 2025
Finalist -
BOLT - 2024
August 1, 2024
Finalist -
BOLT - 2025
August 1, 2025
Finalist -
Best Script Awards - London
January 1, 2025
Finalist -
Los Angeles International Underground Film Festival
November 25, 2025
Finalist -
Toronto International Nollywood Film Festival
September 27, 2025
Finalist -
Page Turner Awards
August 25, 2025
Finalist -
San Francisco IndieFest, Screenplay Competition, 28th Annual
January 18, 2026
Finalist -
Geneva International Science in Fiction Screenplay Awards
October 1, 2024
Finalist -
Feel The Reel International Film Festival
November 1, 2024
Finalist -
Hollywood Weekly Magazine Film Festival
November 14, 2025
Finalist -
SoCal Film Awards, 21st Annual
January 20, 2026
Finalist -
San Francisco IndieFest, Screenplay Competition, 27th Annual
January 1, 2025
Finalist -
Creative World Awards
May 15, 2025
Finalist -
PitchVision Showcase
July 15, 2024
Finalist -
Oniros Film Awards, New York
June 1, 2024
Finalist -
Hollywood International CINEVERSE Screenplay Awards
September 25, 2025
Finalist -
Cambridge Script Festival, Spring 2025
April 1, 2025
Finalist -
Great American Script Contest
October 20, 2025
Finalist -
ScreenCraft TV Pilot Script Competition
January 1, 2025
Semifinalist -
Filmmatic Horror Screenplay Awards, Season 9
February 1, 2025
Semifinalist -
Filmmatic - Pitch Now Screenplay Competition, Season 8
January 16, 2026
Finalist -
Filmmatic - Pitch Now Screenplay Competition, Season 7
January 1, 2025
Semifinalist -
Scriptwriters & Co. International Festival
May 1, 2025
Semifinalist -
Script2Comic - Horror2Comic
May 1, 2025
Semifinalist -
Stage 32 9th Annual Sci-Fi/Fantasy Screenwriting Competition
September 12, 2025
Semifinalist -
Santa Barbara International Screenplay Awards
October 1, 2024
Semifinalist -
Writers X Writers
May 1, 2025
Semifinalist -
Filmmatic Sci-Fi/Fantasy Awards, Season 2
December 1, 2024
Semifinalist -
Nantucket Film Festival, Tony Cox Screenplay Competition
May 28, 2025
Semifinalist -
Omaha Film Festival, 21st Annual
January 5, 2026
Semifinalist -
Los Angeles International Screenplay Awards - Diversity Initiative VIII
December 1, 2024
Semifinalist -
Stage 32 - Search for New Blood Screenwriting Contest
January 1, 2025
Semifinalist -
New York Script Awards
August 6, 2025
Semifinalist -
Scriptation Showcase
June 17, 2025
Semifinalist -
Dallas International Film Festival
April 1, 2025
Semifinalist -
Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival
October 31, 2025
Semifinalist -
Emerging Screenwriters Action & Adventure Screenplay Competition
July 9, 2025
Semifinalist -
Emerging Screenwriters Thriller Screenplay Competition
July 9, 2025
Semifinalist -
Santa Barbara International Screenplay Awards, Spring 2025
August 1, 2025
Semifinalist -
Hollywood Indie Festival
December 29, 2025
Semifinalist -
Outstanding Screenplays TV Pilot Competition
August 11, 2025
Semifinalist -
Filmmatic Drama Screenplay Awards, Season 10
June 15, 2025
Semifinalist -
BlueCat TV Writing Competition
June 24, 2025
Quarterfinalist -
WeScreenplay Diverse Voices Lab, Spring 2025
March 1, 2025
Quarterfinalist -
Emerging Screenwriters Suspense Screenplay Competition
August 1, 2024
Quarterfinalist -
Los Angeles International Screenplay Awards, Summer
June 27, 2025
Quarterfinalist -
Los Angeles International Screenplay Awards, Fall 2024
February 1, 2025
Quarterfinalist -
Filmmatic TV Pilot Awards (Season 9)
November 1, 2024
Quarterfinalist -
Outstanding Screenplays TV Pilot Competition
March 1, 2025
Quarterfinalist -
Los Angeles International Screenplay Awards, Winter
July 1, 2024
Quarterfinalist -
New York International Screenplay Awards - NYISA
April 1, 2024
Quarterfinalist -
Emerging Screenwriters Drama Screenplay Competition
May 1, 2025
Quarterfinalist -
Atlanta Film Festival, Screenplay Competition
March 1, 2025
Quarterfinalist -
Emerging Screenwriters Horror Screenplay Competition
June 12, 2025
Quarterfinalist -
ScreenCraft Horror Competition
February 1, 2025
Quarterfinalist -
Emerging Screenwriters Screenplay Competition
February 1, 2025
Quarterfinalist -
Atlanta Film Festival, Screenplay Competition
February 6, 2026
Quarterfinalist -
Los Angeles International Screenplay Awards, Spring
November 1, 2024
Quarterfinalist -
Palm Springs International Screenplay Awards & Pitch Deck-Sizzle Reel-Trailer Contest, Winter 2025
May 4, 2025
Quarterfinalist -
Manchester Film Festival, Screenplay Competition
March 1, 2025
Quarterfinalist -
WeScreenplay TV Pilot Lab
February 1, 2025
Quarterfinalist -
ScreenCraft Sci-Fi & Fantasy Screenwriting Competition
September 1, 2024
Quarterfinalist -
New York Metropolitan Screenwriting Competition & Film Awards
August 1, 2025
Quarterfinalist -
Hollywood Storytellers Script Competition
December 16, 2025
Quarterfinalist -
The Southern California Screenplay Competition
January 1, 2025
Quarterfinalist -
Vancouver Horror Show Film Festival
September 14, 2025
Quarterfinalist -
ScreenCraft Drama Competition
January 1, 2025
Quarterfinalist -
Emerging Screenwriters Screenplay Competition
January 8, 2026
Quarterfinalist -
Cannes International Screenplay Awards by CINEVERSE
December 21, 2025
Official Selection -
London Film and Horror Film Awards
September 19, 2025
Official Selection -
Culver City Film Festival
December 3, 2025
Official Selection -
Los Angeles Short Film Awards
December 9, 2025
Official Selection -
Silicon Beach Film Festival
September 3, 2025
Official Selection -
Los Angeles Movie and Music Video Awards
November 14, 2025
Official Selection -
Monkey Bread Tree Film Awards
December 25, 2025
Nominee -
Creative Screenwriting Unique Voices Screenplay Competition
January 21, 2026
Quarterfinalist -
Depth of Field International Film Festival
March 15, 2026
Winner - Silver -
Scriptwriters & Co. International Festival
February 26, 2026
Semifinalist -
Barcelona Indie Festival
March 1, 2026
Nominee -
Beyond Hollywood International Film Festival
March 9, 2026
Official Selection -
Sunset Film Festival
March 13, 2026
Official Selection -
Katra Film Series
March 27, 2026
Semifinalist -
BLASTOFF
March 30, 2026
Semifinalist -
UK Film Festival
April 6, 2026
Top 45 -
Emerging Screenwriters Thriller Screenplay Competition
April 8, 2026
Quarterfinalist -
Filmmatic Inroads Fellowship, Season 9
April 15, 2026
Finalist -
Big Apple Film Festival Screenplay Competition, Spring
April 30, 2026
Honorable Mention -
New York International Screenplay Awards (NYISA)
April 27, 2026
Finalist -
Paramount Film Festival Los Angeles
April 29, 2026
Winner - Best TV Pilot -
Los Angeles Reel Film Festival
May 6, 2026
Honorable Mention -
Manhattan Film Festival
May 7, 2026
Official Selection -
Finish Line Script Competition
May 8, 2026
Honorable Mention -
Creative World Awards
April 23, 2026
Top Finalist -
Filmmatic Drama Screenplay Awards, Season 11
May 16, 2026
Finalist -
Cambridge Short Film Festival
May 18, 2026
Nominee -
Richmond International Film Festival
June 16, 2026
Quarterfinalist
Steve Brown, a graduate of the UCLA Professional Program in Screenwriting, holds dual degrees in Journalism and English from the University of Arizona. In 2023, he transitioned from corporate copywriting (for popular brands such as Nintendo and Kaplan Test Prep) to fully pursue a career in screenwriting. Today, he maintains a focus on mysterious, cerebral, sci-fi storytelling with built-in, thought-provoking social commentary. Steve’s works, while always grounded in reality, take a deep dive into quantum theory, collective consciousness, spirit science, ancient symbology, mysticism, and other curious phenomena.
In less than three years, Steve has garnered more than 300 awards, including wins at the Richmond International Film Festival, NexTV Writing & Pitch Competition, and 58th Annual WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival. He has also been recognized by the Nicholl Fellowship, Slamdance, BlueCat, Finish Line, Launch Pad, ScreenCraft, Dallas International Film Festival, Vail Film Festival, Atlanta Film Festival, Cinequest Film Festival, Big Apple Film Festival, Creative World Awards, Emerging Screenwriters, and Scriptation Showcase (among others).